Copyright 2015; Wilmington University. All rights reserved. File photo of Allison Briley versus Holy Family.
LAKEWOOD, N.J. - - In a crucial Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference South Division match, the Wilmington University volleyball team topped Georgian Court, 3-1, to remain in second place on Wednesday night at the Wellness Center.
Set scores for the match were 25-14, 19-25, 25-23, and 28-26.
The Wildcats (21-7, 14-3 CACC) hit .168 for the night, but made it count with hitting .229 in the fourth and deciding set. The Wildcats also out blocked the Lions (17-14, 10-6 CACC), 11-3.5, and out dug Georgian Court, 86-78, for the match.
The visitors came out on fire in the first set, putting down 12 kills with only four errors to hit .205 for the set. The defense was more impressive in the opening frame, as the Lions could only find the floor with six kills on 35 attempts, hitting .000 for the set with six errors.
The Lions were able to tie the match in the second set by hitting .244 to the Wildcats' .075, but the Wildcats were able to close out the match with a pair of lose, two-point victories in the third and fourth sets.
Junior Allison Briley led the Wildcats with a team high 18 kills, adding 18 digs and two aces for a match high 20.5 points. Sophomore Eile Harris hit .429 for the match with seven kills, while only making one error. Harris also led the defense at the net with six block assists, adding to her 10 total points in the match.
Defensively, senior Shelby Henderson led the back row with a match high 29 digs, while also adding two assists and a service ace. Classmate Alex Siolos added 14 digs while freshman Miranda Shaw chipped in with 13 digs. Shaw also led the team with 37 assists in the four sets.
The victory puts the Wildcats ahead of the Lions by three losses, and now the Wildcats hold the head-to-head tiebreaker by sweeping the regular season series. The top two seeds in the CACC South Division will receive a home game in the upcoming CACC Tournament Quarterfinals. The Wildcats have two CACC contests remaining in the regular season.
The Wildcats return to the WU Athletics Complex for their next contest, as they square off against the CACC South Division leaders from Philadelphia on Saturday. The Rams have one fewer conference loss than the Wildcats, but the Rams defeated the Wildcats in the season's first meeting. Saturday's match is set for a 12:00 p.m. first serve.